Western Europe Heading North

The nations of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have a strong cultural affinity for Western Europe, with Denmark historically serving as the link between the two regions. The Öresund Bridge, built in 1995, connected Copenhagen to the Swedish port of Malmö opened up the first land route to the Scandinavian peninsula since the last Ice Age. Geographical isolation kept the Nordic countries ethnically homogeneous and sparsely populated, but now their capital cities have emerged as energetic cultural centers. It’s mostly outside of these metropolitan areas that the Nordic nations radically distinguish themselves from the rest of the continent. Hiking through the Lappland wilderness of northern Scandinavia is enough to make anyone reevaluate what it means to see Europe “off the beaten path.” In this guide, you’ll find a smattering of what Scandinavia has to offer. To learn more about Scandinavia, check out a copy of Let’s Go: Europe 2009.

Finland (Suomi)

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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.